Quote of the Week (June 23)

Please read and share your thoughts: I love reading others' thoughts. This is a quote from Sis. Bonnie D. Parkin, former General Relief Society President. It can be found in the Nov. 2003 Ensign, her talk entitled: Choosing Charity: The Good Part.

"Elder Marvin J. Ashton beautifully observed: 'Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.'

In exercising charity, we come to know a sister’s heart. When we know a sister’s heart, we are different. We won’t judge her. We will simply love her. I invite you to not only love each other more but love each other better. As we do this we will come to know with a surety that 'charity never faileth.'"

Quote of the Week

Here is a quote by Elder Alan F. Packer of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He shared it at the April 2009 General Conference of the Church. Please read the quote then comment with your thoughts. Please remember to 1) be respectful of others' thoughts and 2) be respectful of others' beliefs. I look forward to reading what you think.

When the winds blow and the rains pour, they blow and pour on all. Those who have built their foundations on bedrock rather than sand survive the storms.¹ There is a way to build on bedrock by developing a deep personal conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ and knowing how to receive inspiration. We must know—and know that we know. We must stand spiritually and temporally independent of all worldly creatures.² This begins by understanding that God the Father is the Father of our spirits and that He loves us, that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and Savior, and that the Holy Ghost can communicate with our minds and our hearts.³ This is how we receive inspiration. We need to learn how to recognize and apply these promptings.

Back on again

So I have been neglecting this blog for too long. I'd like to try again and offer a little more of a discussion for my posts, anyway. I will try and get on weekly and share a quote that others are welcome to comment on. I ask just two things: 1)Please be respectful of others' thoughts (as has been going on thus far); and 2) Please be respectful of others' spiritual beliefs. We don't all have to agree, but we can be respectful. I hope that we can have some fun discussions from this.

Hope

"Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls...

Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity." - Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This talk has already been a big strength for many since his address was shared in October. I think hope is a wonderful principle that we need to be reminded of as we face challenging times. I am grateful for the infinite power of hope.